The French winemaker's daughter A novel

Loretta Ellsworth

Book - 2024

"A dual narrative WWII historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty, about two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine that was stolen by the Nazis. In 1942, seven-year-old Martine hears her father being dragged off by the Germans as she hides in her armoire. Pinned to her dress is a piece of paper with her aunt's Paris address written on it, and in her arms is a bottle of wine she has been instructed to take with her if something should happen to her Papa. When she finally emerges, she drops the bottle of wine and runs to a neighbor, who puts her on a train to Paris. The piece of paper is still pinned to her dress, but her aunt is not there when she arrives. She... wanders the cold streets until she falls asleep on the doorstep of Hotel Drouot where she is found by a nun and put in the care of Sister Ada. In 1990, Charlotte, a pilot for a commercial airline, attends an auction with her boyfriend Henri at Hotel Drouot, now the oldest auction house in Paris. It is there that Henri bids on a box of wine saved from the German occupation during WWII. He gives Charlotte one of the bottles that is considered unworthy of collection. Later, when cleaning it, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery that sends her out looking for the source of this unusual and very valuable (in all senses) bottle of wine. How these two stories intersect form the basis of a novel about love and war and family, a tale that will make you think about luck and connection, and the meaning of loyalty"-- more